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NBA: 30 most unguardable moves in league history

By Dylan Carter

INGLEWOOD, CA - JUNE 1982: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots over Caldwell Jones #11 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1982 NBA basketball Finals at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The lakers won the Championship 4 games to 2. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CA - JUNE 1982: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots over Caldwell Jones #11 of the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1982 NBA basketball Finals at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The lakers won the Championship 4 games to 2. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) /

. SG. Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe Bryant - Fadeaway. 5. player. 20

30 most unguardable moves in NBA history: 5. Kobe Bryant, fadeaway

A student of the game in the purest sense of the phrase, Kobe Bryant’s fadeaway jump shot is an NBA staple that’s etched into the minds of basketball fans worldwide. It was a move so beautifully orchestrated that even his haters couldn’t help but marvel at it. The post game is an art in and of itself, requiring precision, footwork and physicality that most players at the two-guard couldn’t match.

Kobe’s will to compete came from within, but much of his game came from studying his predecessor: Michael Jordan. Bryant’s fadeaway mirrored that of Jordan because it was essentially the same move, except Kobe learned to put his own flair on it. Basketball fans from a previous era knew it as Jordan’s post fadeaway, but fans from Kobe’s era knew it from him and only him.

So long as Kobe had a sliver of room to operate, there was a good chance that his turnaround jumper was falling. Despite never being the tallest, fastest or strongest player on the court, he entered every game with a killer mentality that would make you think he was a Monstar. With a smooth jump shot and the concentration to hit it off-balance, Kobe dominated his opposition by forcing them into uncomfortable situations and fading away to drain his mid-range jay.

There were a variety of ways that Kobe got his jumper off. Some were more intentional, like his infamous post fade in which he put pressure on his defender, knocked them backward and turned over his opposite shoulder for a clean look at the basket. On other occasions, he’d break a defender down with a chain of dribbles or a crossover before pulling up and gliding through the air while hitting a jumper.

Sometimes, Kobe would simply pull a fadeaway even if he didn’t need to. He did it because he could and because he knew that no one would be able to stop him. Even if his team was behind, Kobe played a cerebral brand of basketball that chipped away at his matchup’s energy. That fadeaway is the most iconic signature shot of Kobe’s era and deserves to be praised as one of the greatest signature moves in league history.